Crash Team Rumble Beta Q&A

Hey, Crash Team Rumble fans! We're excited to bring you our latest blog post where we've compiled a list of fan-submitted questions about the beta version of the game that took place on April 20th, 2023. Since the beta release, we've received an overwhelming response from players eager to know more about the game's features, mechanics, and what they can expect from the final version when it launches on June 20th! In this Q+A style post, we'll be answering some of the most frequently asked questions straight from the community. So sit back, grab a wumpa-flavored drink, and get ready to learn more about the highly anticipated game, Crash Team Rumble.

BETA

When the game is fully released, what can we expect from the Limited Time Modes?

During the course of our seasons (which last roughly 3 months at a time), you can expect that the game will have a robust schedule of events and limited-time modes. We’ll have more to share on this soon!

What are the first aspects from the beta that you’re looking at to be immediately tweaked for the full game? 

That’s exactly right - we’re collecting data to help us tune for a smoother launch and prioritize changes for the midseason update and Season 2. We’re paying close attention to hero and power usage/balance/win rates, player progression actuals vs estimates, and matchmaking conditions and unexpected issues.

From the data so far, what is the most interesting thing you have found during the Beta?

• There are over 2x as many PS5 players than PS4.

• A lot of people use the term “actually” to describe their experience - “the game’s actually really fun!”

• A lot of people played over 100 matches!

• SOME PEOPLE PLAYED OVER 30 HOURS!!

How did you make the game so fun?

We started with a unique and intriguing question: what does a competitive multiplayer Crash-platformer look like? Then, our team of incredibly talented, intelligent, kind human beings tried many, many ideas and iterated on the game for years until we were ready to share it with the rest of the world!

Does the game have a story that explains why everyone is collecting wumpa fruits in teams?

The great Wumpa Games originally came from humble beginnings; springing forth as an off-shoot activity tied to the Wumpa Islands annual Wumpa Harvest. Inhabitants from the various islands would form teams and compare how many Wumpa could be gathered on a given day. What initially started as a light diversion has now grown into a cutthroat competition, filled with the fiercest competitors any dimension has ever seen. This annual competition is such a monumental event that onlookers will even witness hated rivals banding together to become the Crash Team Rumble Champions.

HEROES

Will you maybe be adding any new characters later on down the road?

Not maybe - most certainly! (and regularly)

Will there be more characters from the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy? I would really love to see characters like Tiny Tiger, Ripper Roo, Pinstripe and the Komodo Bros again. 

We’re so, so thrilled to see the excitement for new characters! We most certainly have new heroes actively in the works for future seasons and yes, we are very open to suggestions on who else to queue up for down the road. One thing to note is that we intend on growing the cast thoughtfully and gradually. Each hero in Crash Team Rumble is more than just an avatar - they are completely unique in their movement and combat abilities and it takes a LOT of iteration and tuning to make sure they mechanically contribute to the game’s meta in fresh but balanced way. We’re not going to rush out heroes that aren’t ready in favor of trying to hit a huge cast of favorites and fresh faces. We’re looking forward to being thoughtful on how we grow the cast together with you!

Do you think you can add characters, stages and music from ALL Crash games, and not only the PS1 era?

(Lawyers whispering in our ears) Maaaybe. Possibly influenced by. Unlikely.

Will there be crossovers with other franchises like Spyro?

Intriguing suggestion!

Will Fake Crash have his iconic green pants back if he returns?

Does he wear green or blue pants? Community: this needs to be settled!

Have you all thought about adding characters from Microsoft IP’s in the form of dlc? 

We’d love to! Phil, what do you think?

Can you make Crash Bandicoots' air dash more useful and more stylish like Coco's air dash? Will you add other abilities for heroes in the future?

We’re pretty satisfied with the number of abilities in a hero’s kit, but we’re going to be continually studying the playdata and will routinely patch adjustments for balance. Stay tuned!

Will character voices be added? It would be nice to hear characters have a few different lines they say like in the racing games. 

Really early on we tried adding voice lines and it turns out - without an enormous volume of variable lines, it got pretty annoying quickly. With how much is going on in a match, we opted to clear out unnecessary chatter on the comms.

What does it mean when there are stars over your hero’s head?

You are immune to stun during this time.

Is there a way to charge your power meter faster?

Yes! If you play to your role, it will accelerate your power’s charge. Ie score as a Scorer, or deny Wumpa as a Blocker.

How did the character - Catbat come to be?

Stay tuned!

What’s the Retro Threads Tawna Skin Going to Look Like?

Stay tuned!

Once the full game releases will level 6 still be the max level for characters? Will it still be as quick to level them up to the max level?

At launch, heroes will be able to level up to 15 and have two additional challenges.

FEATURES

Why is an Activision account required for Crash Team Rumble? 

Two big advantages: Cross-play and cross-progression!!

Will there be any additional match types, and can you tell us anything about them?

Most certainly! Stay tuned for season updates

When will you add game modes? For example, will there be a mode to extend the game by double the score limit? 

Sounds like an interesting experiment - how are you all feeling about the average match length so far?

Will you be implementing offline functions, like a local multiplayer mode?

At its core, the game is specifically designed for online multiplayer and that’s where our focus is at the moment. It's an interesting suggestion.

Will there be a single-player or adventure mode for the game?

We intend on adding different types of modes in future seasons, and PvE is certainly something that interests us as a potential experience down the road. For launch, our focus is squarely on this brand new team v team experience and want to make sure that is the best it can be before expanding into other varieties.

Can you tell us about the Trophies and Achievements the game will have and how hard will they be to complete? 

Yes! It won’t be as difficult as Crash 4 if that’s what you’re getting at :)

Will a spectator mode be added?

Not in current plans, no

Will I need subscriptions like PS Plus or Xbox Live Gold to play online?

Yes

Any plans on releasing the game on PC?

No announcements at this time. Crash Team Rumble will launch June 20 on Playstation and Xbox consoles.

Will we be able to use the D-pad to move in the future? 

At the moment, the Dpad is reserved for emotes. We’ve seen lots of suggestions to extend support for more emotes there.

We already know about the BP and Character level and challenge systems, but will there be other ways to obtain cosmetics?

It’s conceivable there might be a store down the road but its not currently a priority for us. Our focus right now is making rewards earnable by playing.

Can you add Toxic Waste as a victory soundtrack?

Hm, do we have the license for that? Checking… we do! Alright, let’s do it!

Will the game be supported a year after its release? 

We intend to support this game well after launch for as long as we can! We’re suited up for a marathon.

Will there be an option to modify commands on a single character instead of all of them?

Good suggestion. We’ll evaluate this for future releases.

Will it be possible to automatically disconnect inactive players?

Yes! We also saw idle players holding up some lobbies in the Beta and are developing ways to combat this.

CUSTOMIZATION

Can we get Crash crashing through the window as an emote, please?

Lawyers are looking into it

Will you make a change to have the unlockable music playable in different parts of the game? 

Good thought - we’ll think on this

PROGRESSION

Will our progress from the beta transfer over to the full game when it releases?

No. One big reason for the beta is to understand real-world progression rates so we can tune it for the launch game. The reward schedule may differ in subtle ways for the final game also.

We know the game has cross-play but will it have cross-progression? For example, can we carry our progression and unlocks from platform to platform?  

YES!

How much will it cost for each premium battle pass?

We’ll have more details to share as we approach season 2 but it’ll very likely be within industry standards.

OTHER

Could you make one of the fun facts say “There’s not gonna be a new Skylanders game?”

No!

Thanks TFB! We’re so excited for Crash 5 and Spyro 4. 

I see what you did there :D

I just wanna ask… how are you Crash?

Crash says: I just got uppercutted by Tawna and had a very large Gasmoxian come crashing down on my head, so.. couldn’t be better! LET’S RUMBLE AGAIN!!

Crash Team Rumble launches on Playstation and Xbox on

June 20, 2023!